“Let me begin by saying that we just won our eviction case in Los Angeles Superior Court. So relieved.I have never had to deal with a lawsuit against me before, so I was so stressed about all of it. Despite unfortunate circumstances, I could not have asked for a better attorney. Not only was he working hard to build a solid case for me, but he also made sure to reassure me when I was scared and doubtful. Not all attorneys are advocates for their clients, but Craig certainly was. He heard my story, cared, and advocated for me.
My landlord filed an unlawful detainer case that was completely illegal and had no legal basis. They tried to evict me because of my emotional support animal. (ESA’s are legally supposed to be accepted into buildings that are considered no pets, under federal and state laws. ESA’s are granted to people with disabilities. ESA’s are reasonable accommodation for a person with disabilities, they allow the person to live a more functional life). This building had a no pets policy, and my landlord had zero intentions to accommodate. Instead of attempting to accommodate, they found whatever reason they could to evict me. They began to accuse my dogs of being a nuisance (which they were not). When they tried to evict me, there was an eviction moratorium because of the COVID19 pandemic. Nuisance was one of the few exceptions.
They were clearly evicting me because of my dogs. My dogs, who help me live daily through my disabilities – hence, they were neglecting my need for accommodation. They were treating me differently than other tenants because I had a special need – a need for a support animal. This is clearly the definition and example of discrimination. My landlords knew this. My landlord’s attorneys knew this. Despite those facts, they continued with threatening me with eviction and legal notices etc, because frankly, most tenants in these vulnerable situations will just give up and move out because they are intimidated. I’ve been through a lot in my life, and this was one time I finally found a safe space for myself. I was not going to give that up because of their intimidation.
I knew the laws that protected me and knew they had no legal right to be doing what they were doing. I chose to stand up for myself, consulted with Craig, and fought through and stuck around. There were a handful of times, I was very close to giving up. Craig reassured me we had a good case if I can stick around for the end of it. He told me things like:
“I can only take a certain number of cases a year, and I’m not going to take a case just to take a client’s money. I take cases I know that are worth it. You have a good case, I wouldn’t have taken it on if I didn’t think so.” These reassuring words from Craig got me to stick around despite my doubts and fears…
Trial day was def hard, it went from 7am – 4pm, but wow. I was so glad to have hired Craig when I heard him give the final statement at the end of the trial. I was impressed with his cohesive and succinct argument. I felt guilty for ever doubting him, and I am forever grateful for him for being on my side and fighting for me during such a hard time in my life. He stood up against the people who were bullying me, and justice prevailed! The judge gave the verdict in my favor and noted the landlord’s neglect and carelessness and lack of sympathy for my special needs. He practically scolded them for sending me a letter that said, “You can have ESA’s but the ones you have bark, so get a new one.” Our justice system is not perfect, but still, sometimes, justice is served. I am fortunate my case was one of those. It might not have been if it wasn’t for Craig.
Once again, thank you.
If you are being evicted unfairly, and need someone on your side, I highly recommend Craig.”
A few days later the on-site manager’s husband went to my neighbor’s and my apartment. He said we CANNOT continue to allow our kids to play outside. I asked him where he wanted the kids to play and his response was, “you are lucky we live right across the street from a park, so take him there”. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! I decided to escalate it and give the management company a call because I knew they could not prohibit our children from playing outside. Boy was I wrong! The management company and the property owner supported the on-site manager. There were so many feelings that we were going through angry, alone, scared, the not knowing. We felt as we did and used everything in our power to try and to reach out to someone because we were crying out for help! How can managers get away with such a thing and allow them to feel like they have all the POWER in the world?
One day my neighbor received a 60 day notice to leave the apartment and we received a verbal threat that we were next. I did my research because I could not allow the managers to continue to intimidate us nor our children.
I reached out to a few attorneys and all they’d say was we “really” didn’t have a case or that they can send the manager a letter. I felt as if the doors were shutting and that the manager may be right after all. When I came across Craig Fagan’s web page I had tears in my eyes. My neighbor and I decided to give Craig a call. He is SUPER understanding, kind, family oriented and most important makes you feel like everything is going to be fine. If you are on Craig’s web page it is obviously because you have been discriminated and do not know what to do. All I can say is, fight for your right and stop allowing discrimination to continue. The thought of the entire process sounds scary, but TRUST me it’s the right thing to do. You are not alone; Craig is with you through the ENTIRE process. I normally do not write testimonials but I had to for this because it has honestly been the best decision we could have made and I want EVERYONE to know that there is hope!
Best of luck to you!
I moved into my apartment in 2012 and I loved it. Everything was great until new owners bought our apartment complex in November 2013. The new manager started making rules that the kids were no longer aloud to ride their bikes, or to play soccer, no roller blading, or running, pretty much anything fun kids do they tried to prohibit. He also made comments to multiple families that if our kids wanted to play we should take them to play at a park. He made blatant comments about it not being a “family complex” even though over half of the complex had children.
I knew enough about the law that there was no way this was legal. I started researching the internet and I found Craig Fagan’s website. Our first conversation, he sent me a letter to send to my manager, telling them to knock-it-off or get sued. I thought it was enough to get them to leave us alone but they didn’t. So I called Craig again to let him know they still were discriminating against us. So we decided to move forward and sue them.
Part of the problem was that some of the other families being discriminated against in this situation were undocumented immigrants and they were terrified of standing up for themselves. Craig told us it was no problem and they were also added to this case.
This process was the best thing that ever happened to us. As soon as the apartment management company was served with the lawsuit they left us alone.
Everything went reasonably quick and we were very happy with our outcome. Aside from a financial settlement we also were able to force the management company to change the rules so the kids are now able to play freely!
I encourage anyone who may be undocumented and dealing with this kind of discrimination not to live in fear. You have rights to stand up for your family.
So happy I called and I highly recommend anyone in this situation to call Craig in the future.
I had to find some relief for them. So I decided to try and find out if this was legal. I surfed the Internet for discrimination. Up popped Mr. Fagan’s website. I sent an email to Mr. Fagan and wasn’t sure what to expect in return. I checked my email about an hour later and was surprised that I already had a response. Thereafter, I met with Mr. Fagan and hired him to take my case. I knew God had sent Mr. Fagan to me. I knew I was in good hands. The case was handled well and we eventually successfully settled the lawsuit with a very fair settlement. My favorite thing about my attorney was how quickly I would receive a response to my messages. I quickly became friends with my attorney and still to this day email and call to say hello and to chat about our families. I would Mr. Fagan’s law firm to service any of your needs.
Mr. Fagan reviewed my lease and the warning notice, and advised me that this was totally illegal. He prepared a letter that was sent to my manager. Less than 48 hours after the letter was sent, the apartment manager called me into the office to apologize. Yes, that’s right: apologize. My manager said he was sorry. He didn’t know that was the law and he changed the rules IMMEDIATELY. He even gave us a letter stating that he was wrong and the rules have changed and my daughter can play outside. Mr. Fagan was kind, courteous, professional, fast, and effective. I cannot give him enough praise for what his firm did for my family. My daughter can now play outside without getting harassed by management and she has lots more friends and all the other parents are so grateful for Mr. Fagan as well, as they had similar stories. The smile on mine and all the other kids’ faces make this worth it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Craig. Your Happy Client.
Although there was plenty of safe and open areas for the kids to play, they were told it was prohibited. The reasons for this were never explained to the residents at the time, all of the reprimanding was directed at the children.
It was very difficult for me, as a single mom, to come up with the expenses to be able to entertain the kids in doors every day, since management did not allow children to play outside. Moreover, the kids would stare at their bikes in the bike rack and ask ‘why can’t we play, mom? What did we do wrong? Are we in trouble?’ As the regulations grew more stern day-by-day, I had to find a way to make my children comfortable in their own home. Talking to the people in the office or the owners of the building didn’t work. My only option was to get together with a few neighbors to find someone who could help us. During this process, we were lucky to locate Mr. Fagan. His communication and support for this case was exactly what we needed. We couldn’t have had a more determined and respectable person on our side.
In the end, our settlement was attained. As a mother, I knew that our voices were heard. I truly believe our case made a difference for the future children & families at that complex.
Shortly after moving in my kids went to work being kids; they got on their bikes and brought out their balls, bubbles and chalk and began to play. We quickly learned that management didn’t feel the same way we do about children. Daily our children were given rules and restrictions that seemed unfair to us. They could not play with balls, ride bikes, scooters, or skates They were not allowed to draw with sidewalk chalk. We talked with management about our concerns and were told to move somewhere else. We tried to stand our ground for our kids and were told we might get evicted. It even went as far as the management using profanity with our children, yelling and even threatening. If that wasn’t bad enough, management called the cops on our 8-year-old for riding a bike.
There was a playground in the complex but it was falling apart and was constantly closed as punishment for having let the kids play in the common areas of the apartments. One day, when I was at my wits end, I went on the internet and typed in discrimination against kids and a website came up for Craig Fagan. He had an article he had written and it addressed all my concerns and told me that what was happening to my kids was not only unfair but illegal. I contacted Mr. Fagan.
Mr. Fagan was wonderful from the start. When I called him and told him my story, he agreed to take my case. Through the entire process there was no fear on my part because Mr. Fagan walked me through everything I needed to do, which was not a lot. He handled all the court filings, witnesses, and explained things in a manner that I could understand. In the end, our case won just like he said it would and for an amount that we felt was fair. But the best part of the entire thing which was so much more important to me is the rules in our complex changed and kids are allowed to be kids and management or anyone that would have interaction with the tenants and their children had to attend training on fair housing. I have the comfort of knowing this is one less complex that will not try to take the rights of children away. So stop living in fear and reach out to Mr. Fagan for the protection your children deserve.
I didn’t know where to turn. After calling Craig Fagan, my mind was set at ease. He immediately counseled me on my situation and let me know that I was not alone. It didn’t matter that I didn’t have any money to pay Craig for his services, because he only takes payment after he gets your settlement. Unlike other attorneys, Craig only takes cases where he strongly believes that his client has a valid claim. This allows him to give you the attention that you deserve. To me, Craig didn’t seem like a lawyer. He acted as a friend. Even after I received my settlement, I continue to keep in contact with Craig. If you, or someone you know, feels that they have been treated unfairly or discriminated against, I wouldn’t think twice. I strongly suggest that you pick up the phone and call Craig Fagan immediately.
The testimonials or endorsements on this website do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.
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